Durbin Recognizes Importance of National Rural Health Day
[WASHINGTON, DC] – In a statement for the Senate record, U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) today recognized the importance of National Rural Health Day. In Illinois, 81 of the 83 rural counties are considered primary care shortage areas, impacting nearly 2 million Illinoisans. To address this problem, the Affordable Care Act includes more than $200 million in training services for primary care doctors, nurses, and physician assistants. It also expands the National Health Service Corps program by $1.5 billion.
“About 10 percent of physicians practice in rural America despite the fact that nearly one-fourth of the population lives in these areas. This is a fact that Cody Holst and his wife know all too well. Cody is a Hancock County cattleman who lives in Carthage, Illinois. Last year, Cody’s wife Erin was rushed to the emergency department at Memorial Hospital. Erin was expecting but was only 32 weeks along in her pregnancy. Doctors told Cody that typically they would recommended she be flown to Peoria, Illinois, approximately 100 miles away. But in this case they did not have that much time. Erin would need an emergency C-Section. Any delay in this operation would jeopardize Erin’s pregnancy and her life. Fortunately, the operation was successful and led to healthy birth of Reese Holst. If Memorial Hospital was not in the community and Cody had to travel any further, his wife and child may not be here today,” said Durbin. “Critical access hospitals make sure Americans in small communities, like Cody and his family, still have access to high quality health care.”
Senator Durbin has worked for many years to help ensure that federal funding reaches rural community health centers across Illinois. He has worked to preserve programs that serve as vital sources for coverage in rural areas including Medicare, Medicaid, and the Children’s Health Insurance Program. Earlier this year, the National Association of Community Health Centers presented him with the Distinguished Community Health Leadership Award. A photo of Durbin’s meeting with the group can be found here.
The full text of Senator Durbin’s statement for the record is below:
National Rural Health Day
Senator Richard J. Durbin
November 21, 2013
Today is National Rural Health Day. More than 59 million Americans, nearly one in five, call rural communities their home, including more than 9 million Medicare beneficiaries. These small towns, farming communities, and frontier areas depend on rural hospitals for their health care needs. And their needs are as unique as the communities they live in.
Rural areas are sparsely populated and are disproportionately older. More families in rural communities tend to live with less income than their urban counterparts, and patients tend to be physically isolated, which can substantially increase travel costs associated with medical care. These needs are not easily addressed by a one size fits all approach. Rural providers must rely on providing affordable primary care and a system that values prevention, wellness and, above all, care coordination.
In Illinois, there are 102 counties, 83 of which are rural. Of these 83 rural counties in Illinois, 81 are designated as primary care shortage areas, which affects nearly 2 million Illinoisans. To incentivize providers to work in underserved areas, states rely on the National Health Service Corps (NHSC) Loan Repayment Program, the NHSC Scholars program, and the State Loan Repayment Program. These programs have been a mainstay of rural recruitment. This year, through the coordination of loan repayment programs, an estimated 231,000 patients in rural Illinois were able to access care. These programs provide recruitment tools for facilities in rural parts of the state.
Recruiting primary care professionals to rural communities is challenging. Many programs, including these recruitment programs, require more funding.
New approaches are needed to increase the workforce in rural America. For instance, the federal government and states should look at licensure and new payment models to that would allow allied professionals, including advanced practice nurses and physician assistants living in these communities, to help meet the growing demand for primary health care services.
Fortunately for Illinois, our network of critical access hospitals, rural health clinics, and federally qualified health centers work with their limited resources to provide exceptional care in rural communities. Critical access hospitals provide local access to healthcare for more than one million people in Illinois in areas that are medically underserved and have too few primary care professionals.
More needs to be done to help rural communities improve access to primary medical care. About 10 percent of physicians practice in rural America despite the fact that nearly one-fourth of the population lives in these areas.
This is a fact that Cody Holst and his wife know all too well. Cody is a Hancock County cattleman who lives in Carthage, Illinois. Last year, Cody’s wife Erin was rushed to the emergency department at Memorial Hospital. Erin was expecting but was only 32 weeks along in her pregnancy. Doctors told Cody that typically they would recommended she be flown to Peoria, Illinois, approximately 100 miles away. But in this case they did not have that much time. Erin would need an emergency C-Section. Any delay in this operation would jeopardize Erin’s pregnancy and her life. Fortunately, the operation was successful and led to healthy birth of Reese Holst. If Memorial Hospital was not in the community and Cody had to travel any further, his wife and child may not be here today.
This is just one of the many examples of what critical access hospitals are able to do for families in these communities. Critical access hospitals make sure Americans in small communities, like Cody and his family, still have access to high quality health care.
The Affordable Care Act begins to address some of these urgent issues facing the nation’s health care system, such as lack of access to health insurance coverage. Nearly 8 million rural Americans under the age of 65 will have insurance under the law. More Americans will gain access to private health insurance and Medicaid, increasing the demand for care by rural hospitals and providers. Many of the provisions in the law are aimed at solving this very challenge. For example, the Affordable Care Act dedicates funding to evaluate current payment systems, particularly the Medical Home Model of care that incentivizes care coordination.
As the demand for primary care providers increase, the Affordable Care Act aims to extend the role of nurse practitioners in primary care settings and provides $15 million for ten nurse-managed clinics that train nurses and provide primary health care services in medically underserved communities. The law also includes more than $200 million to training primary care doctors, nurses, and physician assistants and expanded the National Health Service Corps program by $1.5 billion. The Affordable Care Act has provided a great foundation to solving these problems, but more needs to be done.
Today, on National Rural Health Day, I urge my colleagues to join me in recognizing the unique healthcare needs and opportunities that exist in rural communities and work together to solve the issues these communities face.